Chadwick Boseman, right, class of 1995 at T.L. Hanna High School, is one of the more famous to come from Anderson. Boseman has starred in several feature Hollywood films, including "42", "Get On Up", and soon to be featured in theaters everywhere on February 16, "Black Panther. "(Photo: Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail)

But not so long ago, the 41-year-old Boseman was a student at T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, South Carolina, playing basketball, acting in community theater and school productions and dreaming of making it big.

After graduating from T.L. Hanna in 1995, Boseman moved through college at Howard University. The pursuit of his dreams took him to Brooklyn, New York, by way of the British American Drama Academy at Oxford, England, where he lived in a small apartment for years writing and directing plays.

In between, he would audition for a variety of roles on television shows including brief appearances on "All My Children" as well as dramas like "Third Watch," "ER," "Cold Case" and "Law and Order."

By 2010, Boseman was a star of the ensemble drama "Persons Unknown" that was canceled after one season. And after a few spots on shows in 2011, he contemplated hanging up acting for good and diving into writing and directing full-time.

But first, he auditioned for the role of Jackie Robinson in "42" and that's when things turned around. Boseman got the role and, starring alongside Harrison Ford, began a whirlwind in which he played iconic African-Americans like James Brown and Thurgood Marshall. But it was during promotion of the James Brown biopic "Get On Up" that Boseman learned he would become the Black Panther and become a part of the Marvel cinematic universe.

"Black Panther" marks the second in a five-film deal with Marvel that will continue into the next two Avengers movies. It all started in Anderson, where Boseman took the support of his friends and family and parlayed it into a life he had always dreamed of.

"Black Panther" releases in theaters throughout the country Friday.

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Stars from Marvel's highly-anticipated "Black Panther" pounced on Los Angeles Monday night for its world premiere. Chadwick Boseman and the cast explain why the movie is part of a powerful cultural movement. (Jan. 30)
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Comic book legend Stan Lee, left, creator of the "Black Panther" superhero, poses with Chadwick Boseman, star of the new "Black Panther" film, at the premiere at The Dolby Theatre on Jan. 29, 2018, in Los Angeles.(Photo: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)